Removable bakery tray insert

ABSTRACT

A removable bakery tray insert according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first end portion for supporting an upper bakery tray and a second end portion that is adapted to engage a floor structure of a bakery tray. An elongated body portion extends between the first end portion and second end portion. When installed in the bakery tray, the insert is spaced apart from side walls that extend upwardly from the lower bakery tray floor structure in order to support a floor structure of another bakery tray stacked thereon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to bakery trays and moreparticularly to a removable insert for supporting a stacked bakery tray.

Stackable plastic bakery trays are used for storing and transporting avariety of goods. Some bakery trays include a floor with upwardlyextending side walls that define an interior of the bakery tray. Goodsare transported within the interior of the bakery tray. Side walls ofone bakery tray may support another bakery tray when stacked. The frontand rear walls are substantially shorter than the side walls in order tofacilitate access to the interior of the tray. The shorter front andrear walls reduce the stiffness of the bakery tray in that dimension.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A removable bakery tray insert according to one embodiment of thepresent invention includes a first end portion for supporting the floorof an upper bakery tray and a second end portion for engaging the floorof a lower bakery tray. An elongated body portion extends between thefirst end portion and second end portion. The insert is installed intothe lower bakery tray such that the elongated portion is spaced apartfrom the side walls. With the insert, the bakery tray can be used tosupport heavier items, such as tortillas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention can be best understoodfrom the following specification and drawings, the following of which isa brief description.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example insert.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the FIG. 1 insert.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example bakery tray.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the insert of FIG. 1 installed into thebakery tray of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the FIG. 4 bakery tray.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway view through line A-A of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway view through line B-B of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the FIG. 4 bakery tray with anotherbakery tray stacked thereon.

FIG. 9 is a cutaway view of the FIG. 8 bakery trays through line A-A ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a cutaway view of the FIG. 8 bakery trays through line B-B ofFIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an example removable insert 10 includes anelongated body portion 22 extending between a first end portion 14 and asecond end portion 18. The portion 22 is hollow and has a generallycylindrical shape. The insert 10 tapers from a flange 20 at the widersecond end portion 18 to the narrower first end portion 14. The flange20 includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced, axial protrusions28. Snap-tabs or clips 30 may be formed on the protrusions to providepositive locking. Pockets 40 within the protrusions 28 facilitatemolding the protrusions 28 on the second end portion 18 of the insert10. The insert 10 is open at its second end 19, while the first endportion 14 includes an upper support surface 15 from which a pluralityof protrusions 26 extend upwardly.

A bakery tray 38, such as is shown in FIG. 3, includes a floor structure34 generally comprising a grid of ribs 36. The bakery tray 38 furtherincludes shorter front and rear walls 44 and taller side walls 42extending upwardly from the perimeter of the floor structure 34 of thebakery tray 38. Many variations of bakery trays similar to the one shownin FIG. 3 are known in the art. As they are generally designed forbread, they are not suitable for heavier items, such as tortillas. Inparticular, the floor structure 34 is not sufficiently rigid forsupporting heavier items.

Referring to FIGS. 4-5, the insert 10 is installed onto the floorstructure 34 of the bakery tray 38. When installed, the second endportion 18 of the removable insert 10 engages the floor structure 34 ofthe bakery tray 38 with the protrusions 28 extending through openings 46between the ribs 36 within the floor structure 34, with the flange 20 ofthe insert resting on top of the ribs 36. When the insert 10 isinstalled on the floor structure 34 of the bakery tray 38, the insert 10is spaced apart from the walls 42, 44 to provide room for carryinggoods.

Referring to FIGS. 6-7, the protrusions 28 contact the ribs 36 tomaintain the removable insert 10 in a laterally-engaged position withthe floor structure 34. The engaged position limits relative movementbetween the bakery tray 38 and the insert 10. The optional clips 30(FIG. 1) may snap-fit below an upper portion of the T-shaped ribs 36 topositively engage the insert 10 with the floor structure 34. A personskilled in the art and having the benefit of this disclosure would beable to develop other clip designs or other mechanisms for suitablemaintaining the insert 10 with the floor structure 34. A user wishing toremove the insert 10 from the floor structure 34 flexes the insert 10 tomove the clips 30 past the ribs 36 to disengage the insert 10 from thefloor structure 34.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10 the side walls 42 and the insert 10 support asimilar bakery tray 38A in a stacked relationship. The protrusions 26 ofthe first end portion 14 interlock with the holes 46A between the ribs36A of the upper bakery tray 38A for maintaining the position of theremovable insert 10 relative the floor structure 34A of the upper bakerytray 38A. To support the floor structure 34A of the upper bakery tray38A, the upper support surface 15 of the insert contacts the ribs 36A ofthe upper bakery tray 38A.

As shown, the removable insert 10 remains spaced from the side walls 42to maintain a storage area for goods transported or stored within thebakery trays 38, 38A. The shorter side walls 42 provide access to goodswithin the bakery tray 38 when stacked. Although only two bakery trays38A are shown, it should be understood that many bakery trays 38 wouldbe stacked on one another in this manner, with the inserts 10transferring the loads of each bakery tray 38 floor structure 34 to oneanother and finally to the floor structure 34 of the bottom bakery tray38, which would be directly supported by the floor.

In one example, the inserts 10, 10A are added to the bakery trays 38,38A when storing or transporting heavier goods like tortillas. If addedsupport is no longer needed, such as when transporting or storinglighter goods like bread, the insert 10 may be removed from the bakerytray 38, as shown in FIG. 10. Removing the insert 10 is also desirablewhen cleaning or replacing the insert 10, the bakery tray 38, or both,for example.

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, aworker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certainmodifications would come within the scope of this invention. For thatreason, the following claims should be studied to determine the truescope and content of this invention.

1. A removable insert for supporting stackable trays comprising: a firstend portion including an upper support surface having a plurality ofupper protrusions therefrom; a second end portion having a flange fromwhich a plurality of lower protrusions extend downwardly; and anelongated body portion between the first end portion and the secondportion.
 2. The removable insert of claim 1, wherein the first endportion is adapted to contact and interlock with an upper tray floorstructure to support the upper tray.
 3. The removable insert of claim 1,wherein the plurality of lower protrusions include clip for securing toa tray floor structure.
 4. The removable insert of claim 1, where theelongated body portion is generally cylindrical.
 5. The removable insertof claim 4, wherein the elongated body portion is tapered from thesecond end portion to the first end portion.
 6. The removable insert ofclaim 5, wherein the second end portion of the insert includes an openaxial end.
 7. The removable insert of claim 6, further including apocket formed in each of the plurality of lower protrusions.
 8. Theremovable insert of claim 7, wherein the flange extends radially from anouter surface of the second end portion.
 9. A configurable tray assemblycomprising: a bottom floor structure; a plurality of side wallsextending upwardly from the bottom floor structure; and an insert forsupporting another tray in a stacked relationship, the insert removablymounted to the bottom floor structure and spaced from the plurality ofside walls.
 10. The configurable tray assembly of claim 9, wherein theinsert includes a plurality of protrusions from a lower end forinterlocking with the bottom floor structure.
 11. The configurable trayassembly of claim 10, wherein the bottom floor structure includes aplurality of ribs, the protrusions interlocking the plurality of ribswhen mounted to the bottom floor structure.
 12. The configurable trayassembly of claim 11, wherein said plurality of side walls and saidinsert are arranged to support a second tray in a stacked relationship.13. The configurable tray of claim 12, wherein the tray is a first trayand having a second tray stacked thereon, the insert supporting a floorstructure of the second tray thereon.
 14. The configurable tray of claim12, wherein the tray further including a front wall and a rear wallextending upwardly from the bottom floor structure, wherein the sidewalls are taller than the front wall and the rear wall.